Copyright 2005 -- Rachel Saunders

Franz Josef Glacier


Agra is believedsite of an ancient Hindu Kingdom, but the city
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January 10, 2005:
After the heli-biking, we headed towards Franz Josef Glacier. We needed to get to our hotel and prepare for the hike on the glacier the next day. I was so glad to have a day of down time. As we headed for the glacier, the environment turned to temperate rainforest and the roads became very windy. Josh and I kept laughing about how everything, everywhere was picture perfect, beautiful and scenic. Could it be anymore perfect... no. We had an uninteresting dinner in FJ... very early and got ready for the hike. We also took considerable advantage of the facilities at our hotel, including a pool table, a tv room and lounge.

Journal Continued:
The glacier hike, as usual, we got up really early and packed our few belongings into our packs. We then headed to the office to get suited up for the glacier adventure. As with each of our activities, there was some really unfortunate and dorky gear. We wore wet resistant pants, several layers on top, a rainjacket, hats and gloves. Of course I also had a big bandage on my face for the scarred up chin from biking which made quite an impression. We also got horrid, ugly and uncomfortable hiking boots that were fitted with metal crampons, or talonz as these were known.
Journal Continued:
We as a group headed for the face of the glacier. Even though it looked just a few hundred feet away, it was more than 3 km away. Distances are VERY deceptive in NZ. At the glacier we divided into several groups... I didn't feel ambitious so we joined the doddlers group so that I could take loads of video and pictures. Plus, I was still recovering from some significant battering. As they were trying to divide up the groups, one of the fellows suggested that I looked extreme, what with the bandage on my face and shouldn't I join the extreme group. I declined.

Journal Continued:
Hiking on the glacier was an unbelievably cool experience, both figuratively and literally. My feet were feeling really cold as we trekked along in those terrible boots up and down and through the icy crevaces that were created as the glacier made its way down the valley. We found a few of those very cool ice caves and made our way through them. One of the ice caves was so small that I had to go through sideways. Josh and I were both amazed by the beauty of the landscape and the way the glacier, a huge chunk of densely packed blue ice was finding its way so far into the temperate rainforest.

 

Journal Continued:
Alongside the glacier were tree ferns and rushing waters. It was a very unique environment. The only other one like it is in Patagonia near Torres Del Paine. So I guess I have seen them both. As we were walking along, our guide did all the hard work of finding which way we should go and creating the trail as we went along, chopping the ice and making steps in the ice. He had a pick-axe that he used in order to carve out the steps and start the path. Since the glacier moves a meter or so each day, no paths can be permanent. So we had to find our own way through the glacier as each group would have to do every single day on the ice.

Journal Continued:
Alongside the glacier were tree ferns and rushing waters. It was a very unique environment. The only other one like it is in Patagonia near Torres Del Paine. So I guess I have seen them both. As we were walking along, our guide did all the hard work of finding which way we should go and creating the trail as we went along, chopping the ice and making steps in the ice. He had a pick-axe that he used in order to carve out the steps and start the path. Since the glacier moves a meter or so each day, no paths can be permanent. So we had to find our own way through the glacier as each group would have to do every single day on the ice.
 

Journal Continued:
Still recovering from by bruises and broken bones, we had one more VERY IMPORTANT stop to make before we left Wanaka for good. We had to stop at the Toy and Transport museum. Some guy spent his entire lifetime collecting, collections of things. Plus cars, planes, bikes, and military gear. He indiscrimanately collected just about everything.

Journal Continued:
As we were going along towards the end of the adventure, our guide missed the ice with his pickaxe and punctured his leg. That just about ended our trip. He called out for reinforcements and had our group divided amongst the other groups heading out of the glacier. he was incredibly brave, gritting his teeth until some help arrived. Of course, we had a really long hike back down in our new group. I was personally very glad to be back on dry land as my feet were almost frozen from being on the glacier. In retrospecct, I think that it would have been worth it to pay for the heli-hike which took you directly to the top where the really cool stuff is instead of trudging through the not as interesting part. Still, the whole experience was very cool and I am glad that we did it.
 

Journal Continued:
By the end of the day, I was very tired and a little beaten up. It was nice to take a shower, and get cleaned up and get something tasty to eat.

Journal Continued:
Of course this place was like a dream for Josh and he spent hours and hours taking pictures of everything. I wandered around and found myself a nice shady spot underneath a bomber in the grass to rest my broken body. There was no point trying to leave before Josh had gotten to study every article in the museum.

 

Journal Continued:
By the end of the day, I was very tired and a little beaten up. It was nice to take a shower, and get cleaned up and get something tasty to eat.

Journal Continued:
The rest of the canyoning was rather uneventful after that. Mostly just fun. There were a few more jumps, lots of fun slip and slides, and alot of abseiling. I think that I would have enjoyed everything alot more if the water weren't so cold. Another fun one was a tandem slide that Josh and I did together. It was very bumpy though and I somehow bruised both my hips. I guess it is a dangerous sport.

enjoyed everything alot more if the water weren't so cold. Another fun one was a tandem slide that Josh and I did together. It was very bumpy though and I somehow bruised both my hips. I guess it is a dangerous sport.
enjoyed everything alot more if the water weren't so cold. Another fun one was a tandem slide that Josh and I did together. It was very bumpy though and I somehow bruised both my hips. I guess it is a dangerous sport.
 

Journal Continued:
Well, and Josh and I had some fun too, taking pictures.

Journal Continued:
We also stopped at one other place after the museum. It was a fun land for kids. It had all sorts of optical illusions and perspective things. There were kids everywhere running around in the playhouses.

 

Journal Continued:
Well, and Josh and I had some fun too, taking pictures.

Journal Continued:
The rest of the canyoning was rather uneventful after that. Mostly just fun. There were a few more jumps, lots of fun slip and slides, and alot of abseiling. I think that I would have enjoyed everything alot more if the water weren't so cold. Another fun one was a tandem slide that Josh and I did together. It was very bumpy though and I somehow bruised both my hips. I guess it is a dangerous sport.

 

Journal Continued:
By the end of the day, I was very tired and a little beaten up. It was nice to take a shower, and get cleaned up and get something tasty to eat.


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